How to Use ProFile’s New Hub and Link to Grow Your Practice

Any tax preparer will tell you that one of the toughest challenges with tax season is managing their clients. With everyone gunning to have their taxes in on time, it’s easy to lose sight of a document that brings a client’s tax filing to a grinding halt.

Hub is a document management gateway within ProFile. This dashboard offers a broad look at your clients, including their basic information, such as their name and tax filing status, says Ford. Think of a fancy Rolodex, but one that lets you easily add notes to help track your progress, he adds. If you want to check on one particular client, gone are the days of scrolling. Simply type in their name to search, and auto-fill will do the rest.

Through Link, Ford first engages with clients through an engagement letter, checklist or questionnaire, which requests all the necessary documents and information. As clients provide this information, tax preparers can monitor the file’s status. Also, he no longer needs to manually chase clients, especially around crunch time, since he schedules automated reminders through Link. “This reduces the initial recurring visit to my office, until the very last moment, and it speeds up tax filing,” says Ford. “If the client answers all the requested questions, Link would notify me that you’re ready to go with their tax return.”

Through Link, clients can attach their documents, whether it’s by scanning a document or taking a picture of it while on the go, adds Ford. If the client forgot a file, they can easily log on and add it. “The whole purpose of Link is to be a client collaboration tool to allow clients to log into a secure network without using third-parties like Dropbox or Google Drive,” says Ford. “By using Link, you can eliminate email, and the possibility of fraud interception, since documents are shared on the trusted Intuit® environment.”

Link also saves time by allowing access to tax documents over the last three years (2014-2016). If a client missed filing their taxes, Link will organize documents accordingly, says Ford. Since using these tools, Ford says he has been able to cut his time per file by half, which means he can now service double the number of clients this tax season. He has also eliminated the cost of using other software, such as ShareFile or DropBox.

Hub and Link can be valuable tools to your tax preparation arsenal, and now is the time to check them out and play with them, before the storm hits, says Ford. “With any new feature, there is trial and error, and you’re going to experience that with Hub and Link,” says Ford. “Take your time to learn it now, and it’s definitely going to help later.”

What are you most excited about with Hub and Link?

Watch the video below to learn more about how Hub and Link can help you:

About the Author

Bryan Tritt

Bryan leads communications for Intuit Canada's Accounting software, including QuickBooks Accountant offering and ProFile. When he's not working, you can usually find him playing hockey, baking vegan treats and watching Game of Thrones. You can follow him on Twitter at @IntuitBry.